A clean-up operation has begun after the most severe cyclone to hit Fiji in living memory killed at least 20.

Rescue workers said that number could rise as some of the worst-hit outlying islands have yet to be reached.

Thousands are now in evacuation centres while many parts of the country remain without power.

Cyclone Winston, which hit over the weekend, brought winds of over 320km/h (200mph), torrential rain, and waves of up to 12m (40ft).

The category-five storm - among the biggest ever to hit the southern hemisphere - moved westward after making landfall at 18:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Saturday in the north of Fiji's main island, Viti Levu.

It changed direction at the last minute, sparing the capital Suva the full force of its winds.

Aerial imagery showed some villages, particularly in outlying areas, were completely destroyed. A man in Viti Levu told Reuters the damage was so extensive that "it looks like a different country".

The national disaster management office told local media on Monday that the death toll had jumped to 20 people.

The cyclone cut electricity and communication lines and destroyed hundreds of homes.

Thousands are now living in 750 evacuation centres opened by the government, which is now encouraging people to start returning home to clean up.

George Dregaso, of Fiji's National Disaster Management Office, told the Associated Press that about 80% of the nation's 900,000 people were without regular electricity.

Image copyrightNZDFImage caption
The cyclone brought wind gusts of up to 320km/h (200mph)